


Dance of Two Left Feet

by chittaphoned (caramiro)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Other Fandoms Not Mentioned in Tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-16 02:38:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11819490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caramiro/pseuds/chittaphoned
Summary: Johnny was supposed to take this stupid dancing PE class for the easy A to graduate. He did not expect to fall for the TA with the face and heart of an angel. Oh yeah, his friends also know the TA and won’t let Johnny enjoy his crush in peace. Alternatively, #poorJohnny.





	Dance of Two Left Feet

**Author's Note:**

> \- I apologize if this isn’t what OP wanted. I haven’t written fluffy, soft fics in forever but I figured my love of JohnTen and dance was going to see me through this.  
> \- Title taken from a Filipino indie film “Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa” which translates to “Dance of Two Left Feet”  
> \- Thanks to B for holding my hand, listening to my rants, and keeping me sane while I wrote this.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

 

Johnny curses under his breath as he looks at the available PE options for seniors. He should have known that joining the debate team’s planning and evaluation seminar at the mountains back in his sophomore year was one of his dumber life choices. Johnny ended up getting injured during the trip. He was in a cast for the majority of the term, so he opted to defer enlisting for PE. Johnny had almost forgotten about it if not for the blank next to the final slot for PE on his online transcript of records. Johnny curses his luck as he looks at the PE classes available for this semester. Although seniors have the advantage of enlisting for classes before everyone else in the university, the PE options open to him are limited.  

 

The basketball, football, and martial arts classes appeal to him the most, except the time slots available for those classes clash with his Development Economics class. There’s no way he’s sacrificing that slot he got for the legendary Father Jung’s class.

 

Obviously, he’ll have to look at other options for PE if he wants to maintain his valedictorian candidacy.  

 

Unfortunately, Johnny had already taken up volleyball, swimming, and table tennis classes in his freshman year and the first semester of sophomore year. There’s absolutely no way in hell he’s going to roast himself under the sun at 8 am for badminton and tennis. Even if cornered at gunpoint, Johnny would rather die than enlist for aerobics classes.

 

A particular class catches his eye. It’s at 8 am, two-and-a-half hours before his 10:30 am class. PE classes are only an hour long, so he should have an extra hour and a half to freshen up and probably eat before his next class.  

 

Street dancing… It’s not a class he wants to take up. Moving his limbs to the music, having to pray he doesn’t step on anyone else’s foot or break any bones, whether his own or somebody else’s… Nope. Not appealing. Those worries aren’t among his list of favorite things. However, he doesn’t have much choice. Beggars can’t be choosers at this point. Johnny has to think of the positives here. It’s indoors. He doesn’t have to wear any weird outfits. And it’s just PE. He _can’t_ fail PE.  

 

“Fuck this shit,” he mutters as he clicks the “Enlist” button.

  
  
  
  


Taeyong, Johnny’s roommate and best friend since freshman year, assures him, in between howls of laughter, that the street dancing class is an easy A and that the instructor/dance club coach Park Jiyoung is a decent person.  

 

Despite the assurance that Johnny isn’t going to die in this goddamn PE class, a giggly Taeyong is not to be trusted.

 

“I took her class back in first year, and it was fun,” Taeyong says, shrugging. “Hey, hand me the pepper, will you?”  

 

“That’s because you can actually dance,” Johnny deadpans as he takes the pepper and hands it to Taeyong.

“Coach Jiyoung is tough but fair. Coach Jiyoung is nicer to the kids who can’t dance,” Taeyong assures Johnny.

 

“She’s probably going to have my head, if your frequent complaints of aching joints and muscles, as well as all the boxes of pain-relief patches I buy you every other day, are any basis.”

 

Johnny will never admit this out loud to Taeyong, or anyone he knows, but he is terrified. He has two left feet, and any coordination he has when playing basketball, volleyball, or football leaves him as soon as the music plays.

 

“There’s a reason Yuta makes fun of me every time we hit the club,” Johnny grumbles under his breath.

 

“If Dongho, Taemin, and Moonbok survived when we took it back then, so can you,” Taeyong mutters. Despite that attempt at encouragement, the smirk on Taeyong’s lips isn’t that promising.

 

“How did they even end up in the same dance class as you?” Johnny asks.

 

Taeyong snorts as he finally takes off his oven mitts. “Minki tricked Dongho into taking the class with him. Moonbok accidentally clicked street dance instead of swimming,” Taeyong says, ticking off the stories with his fingers. “Taemin just wanted a class that fits with his schedule.”

 

Johnny groans. The thought of being the only senior fucking up in front of a bunch of kids gets less appealing every second.

 

Taeyong shakes his head. “It’s not as bad as you imagine it. You’ll see.”

 

For Johnny’s sanity, he hopes Taeyong’s right.

  
  
  
  


Taeyong that traitor forgot to wake him up on the second day of class. Lucky for Johnny, their apartment is just across campus, and there’s a shortcut from their building. At least it’s just part two of the first day of the semester. Nothing too grade-threatening yet.

 

Unfortunately for Johnny, despite the apartment’s proximity to the campus, the dance studios are on the other side of the school. The world hasn’t had enough of messing with Johnny.  

 

_Fuck my life._

 

By the time Johnny makes it to the dance studio, the second bell has already rung, and he has run across practically the entire campus. Johnny yanks the door open and skids to his knees as he lets himself in. Thank God he’s wearing pants. He probably already looks stupid. There are probably more than twenty pairs of eyes staring at him.

 

_Great. Children are judging him. Wow. Way to set an example as a senior._

 

“Oh shit. I’m sorry,” he mutters to himself before he can get up.

 

“You’re John Seo, I presume?” a crisp voice asks.

 

Johnny looks up to see a woman who he assumes is Miss Park, glaring at him, her lips set in a straight line. He blinks before nodding.

 

“Yes, Ma’am,” he mutters.

 

She nods and sighs. “As a senior, I would hope you would at least _pretend_ to try to be a better example for the younger students next time, Mr. Seo.” Johnny swears he can hear the first years giggling at his misfortune. “This is the first day, so I won’t count this against your attendance. But be late next time, and you will regret it.”      

 

Johnny nods and makes his way to the back of the class, where he hopes no one will see him. There’s a spot next to a guy he swears looks like Gudetama, and Johnny rushes to it as fast as he can. Johnny is content to listen to the usual classroom rules and learn whatever it is they need to do to pass.

 

Johnny almost tunes out Miss Park until the door opens and two people step in. Johnny’s eyes immediately zoom in on the taller one of the two of them because…

 

What the actual fuck is Ji Hansol, a friend of his, doing in here? As far as Johnny knows Hansol’s already done with PE.  

 

Miss Park’s voice cuts through his stream of thought. “Anyway, meet my two assistants from the dance club.” Johnny should have guessed, after all, Hansol is the dance club president. “Ji Hansol and Ten. Don’t ask for his family name. He will have to kill you.”

 

“You’re just too lazy to pronounce it, Coach,” a sweet-sounding voice that is definitely not Hansol pipes up from the front of the room.   

 

Miss Park stops her spiel to roll her eyes at the shorter boy before she continues talking. “They may be fellow students, but Hansol and Ten are your teachers inside this room, so show them some respect.”

 

Johnny cranes his neck a little bit to pay attention to the other boy who came in with Hansol… and… _wow._ What good did he do in his past life to deserve to be graced by an angel’s presence? It doesn’t help that the light from the window gives the guy an ethereal glow. Johnny can stare at that face all day… Maybe this class won’t be so bad…

 

“You know what, Coach?” Hansol’s voice sends Johnny crashing back down to earth. Johnny swears Hansol is out to ruin what little salvation he has from this class. “We should do a dance battle!”

 

Johnny and the rest of the class exchange looks and whispers. Some, like the kid with the seagull brows and the red head with the snaggletooth in the front, have shit-eating grins. He hears a groan from Gudetama guy. _Same here, bro._ Johnny’s own soul leaves his chest when his eyes meet Hansol’s at the front of the room.

 

“Dance battle?” Miss Park asks, raising an eyebrow at Hansol. At least someone has sense in this room.

 

Ten nods in agreement. “Yes, Coach! A dance battle…” As much as Ten has the voice of an angel, his words are anything but sweet to Johnny’s ears right now. “Just to break the ice and so we have an idea of everyone’s skill set!”

 

“Hmm… That’s not a bad idea. Though I bet you two just want to show off.” Miss Park chuckles, with a slight shake of her head. There’s a lack of denial from them who simply shrug at the teacher before stretching their limbs. Johnny’s not surprised. This is Hansol’s chance to make fun of him… Johnny watches Miss Park put down her clipboard and head for the stereo.

 

Hansol goes first, and his limbs move along to the beat. His moves are crisp, sharp, and to the music. The first- and second-year kids are making all sorts of noises, with the snaggle-toothed kid even doing what Johnny has come to recognize as the dancer's version of applause. Johnny’s seen too much of Hansol’s dancing to be impressed.

 

The music changes to “Say My Name.” Suddenly, Ten comes up, gesturing at them to cheer him on. He has an almost cocky smirk on his lips as even his walk matches the music’s beat. The minute Ten sways his hips and spins; Johnny finds himself unable to focus on anything else. Ten’s movements flow into each other like water, as cliched as that sounds in Johnny’s head. When Ten rolls on the floor and beckons with a finger, Johnny feels an elbow to his gut. Just like that, the spell Ten has cast on him is broken.  

 

Johnny looks down to see Gudetama guy smirking at him and raising an eyebrow. “I thought I’d let you know you were drooling,” he says with a chuckle.

 

Johnny frowns. “I wasn’t?” But he pats his face to check anyway.

 

“So who’s next?” Ten shouts over the cheers of the class.

 

Seagull-brows, who he later on learns is called Mark, doesn’t seem to specialize in any particular style of dance. That pseudo-punch from Hansol at the beginning of Mark’s routine has everyone yelling before Mark launches into a series of sharp hand movements and matching footwork. Snaggletooth, who Hansol calls Woojin comes up next. With Hansol, hyping him up in the background, Woojin’s moves involve a lot of limb isolation, but it’s still impressive to watch—especially that handstand he does at the end. Meanwhile, another kid called Jungwoo practically grinds on the floor, with a smooth precision that makes it impressive rather than trashy in Johnny’s eyes.    

 

How the fuck is he going to keep up with kids like these?

 

“How about our older students?” Miss Park calls out, seemingly having gotten into the spirit of the dance battle.

 

“Kim Jaehwan! Kim Jaehwan!” Ten calls out and suddenly all the other kids join him in chanting the name. Gudetama guy next to Johnny facepalms in retaliation.

 

“I’m going to kill Ten…” Gudetama—sorry, Jaehwan—mutters under his breath. “I swear I’m going to have his head later…”

 

Johnny just gives him a look. “Best to get it over with, bro.”

 

Jaehwan sighs before he makes his way to the front of the class. Johnny spots Jaehwan give Ten the finger when Miss Park isn’t looking. Ten just flips imaginary hair, giggling at the side, despite nothing happening yet. Johnny swears it’s the cutest thing he’s ever seen all day. As the music plays, Johnny chuckles while watching Jaehwan move his head and mouth the lyrics.

 

Johnny doesn’t know what he was expecting, but it was not Jaehwan rolling his body in an attempt at a sexy pose while matching the music. Everyone bursts out laughing when Jaehwan bites his lip and stares at Ten’s direction.

 

“He’s like a middle-aged man!” Miss Park screeches in between gasps of laughter.  

 

Apparently, it gets even better (or more embarrassing (depending on who you’re asking) when Jaehwan stiffly moves his hands, hips, and legs. It may be hilarious, but Johnny has to give the guy credit for being on beat.

 

Jaehwan then runs back to his spot next to Johnny amidst the cheers and howls of laughter in the room. At least Johnny knows he’s not the only horrible dancer in this class.

 

The song changes and another first year is about to go in front when Hansol commits the worst form of betrayal imaginable.

 

“Come on up, Johnny!”

 

_What the actual fuck?_

 

Suddenly all the first and second years are calling his name, while Jaehwan (with his surprisingly manic laughter), is patting Johnny’s back.

 

“I went through it, you do too,” is Jaehwan’s unsympathetic comment as Johnny heads to the front.

 

Johnny makes sure to throw Hansol a finger when Miss Park isn’t looking, but all he gets is a bark of laughter in return. Johnny takes in the song he’s supposed to dance to. He’s never heard the song before. It is a patriotic tune, but the lyrics “samgyupsal is so tasty” make him forget any proper dance he might have considered.  

 

“It’s difficult, isn’t it?” Miss Park asks with a small smile on her face.

 

_Ah, fuck it._

 

Johnny lifts both elbows to his chest and moves his hips to the beat. He then crosses one leg over the other and puts it back in place. He does the same using the other leg because he’s lame like that. He then tries moving his upper body in a body wave. It’s not as pretty as Ten’s was earlier, but he’s trying! Johnny finally stretches his arms behind him as he turns, making sure to smack Hansol on the chest. He finishes his routine by forming a heart over his head, ignoring the laughter coming from the entire room. Miss Park is wiping tears from her eyes and laughing when Johnny looks at her direction.

 

He’s fucked.

 

Johnny runs toward his previous spot at the back of the room, but Hansol grabs him to laugh in his face. “I knew you were a bad dancer, Johnny. But I didn’t think you’d be _that_ horrible! Thank you, Johnny.” Hansol says between guffaws, waving his phone in Johnny’s face. “You are now my official source of entertainment every Tuesday and Thursday. Wait until I show everyone your alpaca dance!”  

 

“Fuck you, Ji Hansol,” Johnny hisses as soon as everyone else is too distracted by another kid and her helicopter arm movements.   

 

Hansol, who is still laughing at his misery, simply shrugs. “You wish. Besides, Yuta’s the one taking it up the ass.”

 

Johnny did not need to hear about Hansol’s sex life, thank you very much. He turns to the other TA, asking for holy water, only for Ten to giggle at him. Had Johnny not been praying for the ground to swallow him whole, he would have thought that the sight of Ten giggling was something he’d like to see more often when it’s not at his expense.

 

After that little display by the freshmen and sophomores during their dance battle, Miss Park’s expectations for the class went up. She had decided to skip the basics since there were only at least five of them without any proper dance background. Johnny knows what he needs to do, but for some reason, his body just won’t cooperate. Not even constant repetitions of the steps can get his body to execute the choreography properly. It’s either he trips over his own feet, or he always bumps into poor Jaehwan, who is struggling as much as he is.

 

It doesn’t help that it’s Ten who goes over to help him when he’s falling behind. When Ten comes close, Johnny forgets how to breathe, let alone think. All he knows is that Ten smells nice and that he moves like nothing else Johnny has seen before. Johnny’s focused on these little details about Ten that he forgets what he’s supposed to be learning from the TA. Sometimes, Johnny swears he hears Jaehwan and Woojin sniggering at him, while Mark and Jungwoo judge him from a few feet away.  

 

Long story short, Johnny is going to _die_.

  
  
  


“I think I’m going to fail PE,” Johnny grumbles to a not-listening Taeyong.

 

They’re hanging out in the mini forest near the management building, where they agreed to meet their other friends to film material for the student council’s promotion video. As the student council vice president, Johnny begged Taeyong to help them shoot their promotion video. Taeyong’s setting up the camera, Johnny’s going over the script, and a few others are doing their hair and makeup.

 

“No, you won’t.”

 

Johnny sighs as he flops as softly as he can on the concrete ground. “In case you forgot, I’m unfortunately stuck in a class with some of your dance club’s prize rookie recruits,” he grumbles. He rolls his neck as he gets comfortable on the ground and closes his eyes. “Now Miss Park has high expectations for those of us struggling to keep up.”

 

Taeyong sighs as he finally looks at Johnny. “You’re not too bad when we go over the steps back in the apartment,” he says. “So what’s the problem with doing it in class? Does Coach scare you?”  

 

“A little, but she’s not half as terrifying as Father Jung in theology,” Johnny says with a shrug.

 

“Then why are you struggling? Hansol’s there… He should be able to help you.”

 

“Hansol’s about as helpful as a broken shoe. He’s focusing on the younger kids. Good thing too, since he’s just making fun of me during the whole thing.” Johnny groans. “As for the other TA...”

 

“What’s your issue with the other TA?” a new voice joins the conversation. Johnny looks up to see their friend and Hansol’s boyfriend Yuta looking at them with mirth in his eyes.  

 

“Yuta! Glad you could make it!” Johnny says, pretending he wasn’t agonizing over his PE TA.

 

“Of course I’m going to make it. I can’t say no to extra fifteen minutes of fame and free food,” Yuta says, chuckling. “So going back to your problem, what’s the issue with the other TA? Are we going to have to fight them?”

 

Johnny’s eyes grow wide at the thought of anyone fighting Ten. “NO!” he shouts loud enough for anyone passing by to stop and stare.

 

Yuta’s face goes from concerned to knowing, that smirk growing wider every minute. Taeyong’s eyes dart from between the two of them, unsure what Yuta knows and he doesn’t. Meanwhile, Johnny’s not sure how much Hansol has told Yuta about Johnny’s embarrassing moments in PE class.

 

“If you don’t want to fight them, then what’s the issue?” Yuta asks, poking Johnny on the arm.

 

Johnny stands up from his spot and walks over to where student council secretary Youngmin is setting up the boxes, ignoring Yuta who is following him from behind.

 

“Johnny, you don’t usually have a problem with TAs,” Yuta says. “You’re usually like best friends with them after one class.”

 

“I haven’t talked to him outside of class, Yuta,” Johnny says.

 

Maybe that should get Yuta to leave him alone.

 

Bitch, he couldn’t be more wrong ...

 

Yuta and Taeyong end up tailing him like a puppy after a bone, trying to fish as much information as possible about the TA Johnny’s been having issues with. At this point, even Youngmin asks a few questions. Johnny ignores them to the best of his abilities by helping attach a few light bulbs they’ll be using. Besides, it’s not like Johnny can answer any questions since he knows nothing besides the TA’s name and that he’s a member of the dance club.

 

“So you never talked to a lot of people outside class before. What makes this one different?” Yuta deadpans.

 

“It’s…. Complicated.”

 

Yuta raises an eyebrow. “What? Did you have drunken sex with some random person over the break, only to walk into PE class and see that he’s your TA?”

 

“NO!”

 

Yuta suddenly stops in his tracks, and that grin on his lips doesn’t look promising for Johnny’s sanity at all.

 

“You’re in Hansol’s 8 am class right? The one with the crazy talented bunch of first years?”

 

Johnny almost drops the boxes he’s holding and both Taeyong and Youngmin are beginning to look concerned. “Yeah,” he manages to croak out.

 

Before any of them can comment on that any further, Yuta waves at someone behind Johnny, his smile brighter than it was earlier. It can only mean one thing: Ji Hansol has arrived.

 

Johnny ignores Yuta draping himself all over Hansol in favor of looking at who Hansol brought with him. Johnny ends up dropping the boxes he’s carrying on Youngmin’s foot, with Youngmin yelling as he falls to the ground and clutching his foot in pain.

 

Johnny refrains from watching Ten greet almost everyone taking part in the filming as he and Taeyong help Youngmin get up. He can’t afford to get Youngmin more injured than he probably already is. He apologizes to Youngmin, only for the latter to wave it off.

 

“I think the reason you have issues with your TA is that you have a crush on him,” Youngmin says with a smirk as they look over at Ten’s general direction.

 

“What? How did you even come to that conclusion?” Johnny asks, staring at Youngmin with wide eyes. Raising an eyebrow, he adds, “I think you’re fine enough if your foot didn’t make you forget my TA problems.”

 

“It’s obvious who it is, actually,” Yuta’s voice says from behind them, still clinging to Hansol like a koala.  

 

Hansol adds, “Not that I blame you. He’s a fun guy to be around, and he’s cute, but not my type.”

 

They have to be baiting him into confessing. “Who do you all even think it is?” Johnny demands, glaring at them all.

 

“Knowing your type, there are only a few people in the dance club who would fit the bill,” a new voice chimes in from behind. They all turn around to see their good friend and student council president Taeil, walking over to them with a serene, all-knowing smile on his face.  

 

Johnny raises an eyebrow at Taeil. “Exactly. Ten can’t be the only person in the dance club who’d be my type.”

 

Taeil quietly chuckles, while Yuta, Hansol, Taeyong, and Youngmin all cackle at Johnny. Youngmin even yells in pain when he puts too much weight on the injured foot.

 

Johnny opens his mouth to come up with whatever bullshit he can, but Taeil interrupts him. “We never said it was Ten.”

 

“Besides, you wouldn’t have dropped that thing on Youngmin’s foot if you weren’t staring at Ten like an idiot,” Taeyong deadpans.

 

Johnny blinks, thinking back to what happened just a few seconds ago. Oh fuck....  

 

“I just gave myself away there, didn’t I?” Johnny sighs.

 

Five heads nod back at him with as much seriousness as they can fake.

 

Before anyone else can say anything, Ten walks over to them, giving Johnny a small smile before high-fiving the rest of his friends. Johnny watches as Ten discussing choreography while Hansol and Taeyong, then handing Yuta a notebook. Youngmin accepts a bag of coconut candy from Ten and gives him a few bills in exchange. Ten then excuses himself before rushing off to where third-year representative Chungha and set designer Doyoung are waiting for him.

 

“How do you all even know him?” Johnny asks as soon as Ten is out of earshot.  

 

“We were in second year when he was one of dance club’s top rookies back in his first year. How could I not know who he is after dancing with him for the last three years?” Taeyong deadpans. Hansol nods in agreement.

 

“We were classmates in Cinematography last semester, and are classmates again in Issues in Performace and Presentation,” Yuta says. “He’s a good guy. Easy to work with and fun to hang out with.”    

 

“Donghyun and I live in the same dorm building as he does, and as you probably figured out, he’s the guy we buy all those Thai snacks from,” Youngmin adds, waving his opened bag of coconut candy. Offering the bag to the rest of them, he adds, “Want some? Almost everyone in our year and third year knows who he is.”

 

“Kind of impossible not to when his face is all over campus for winning dance competitions,” Taeil adds before popping a few candies in his mouth.

 

Johnny is thankful for a reprieve from his friends’ teasing when the film club president Seulgi and the rest of the production team and student council finally arrive from their respective classes. Taeil and Johnny have to act like the responsible student council president and vice president people expect them to be, and Johnny hopes the rest of his friends stop talking about his love life during the remainder of the filming.

 

Johnny’s commiserating with Dongho about being the designated weightlifters of the team when he trips over God knows what and comes crashing straight into the floor. He mentally thanks whatever being is watching over him that none of the stuff he was carrying was fragile. He’s about to get up when Dongho points to his knee.

 

Fuck. He’s bleeding, and they’re on the other side of campus from the infirmary. Johnny barely registers what’s going on because his friends have surrounded him, and both Dongho and Taeil are yelling for someone to get the first-aid kit Johnny didn’t even know they have. Ten is suddenly by his side with the first-aid kit and snaps at everyone to get out of the way so he can tend to Johnny in peace and they can resume with filming.  

 

Ten’s hands are soft against Johnny’s knee as he’s tending to the wound on his knee. Johnny looks anywhere but at Ten, unless he feels like saying something stupid. At least all the scenes they need him in are done, and it’s a short walk to the parking lot where some of the others can store the props and costumes in their cars. Here’s his chance to strike up a conversation with Ten. _No. Stop right there! Stop being so perfect and beautiful and acting like my ideal type. No!_

 

Johnny is about to stand up and say that he’s okay when a drop of sweat stings against his finger. Wincing, he notices a small cut on his finger.

 

“Hey, Ten, would you happen to have a band-aid?” he asks, lifting his finger. It’s a safe, honest question that doesn’t make him sound stupid.

 

Ten rummages through the first-aid kit for one. “Why do you… Oh never mind. Right, you fell, but not for me.”

 

_Excuse me? What is happening here?_

 

“You looked serious. I thought I could lighten the mood a bit…” Ten says with a shrug as he hands Johnny the band-aid. His smile is a lot more subdued now than it was earlier. Johnny doesn’t know whether it’s because of his lack of a response.    

 

“It’s fine! It’s fine! I was… surprised.” Johnny admits.

 

To Johnny’s surprise, Ten lets out a sigh of relief. “I thought you didn’t like me.” Ten says, with a pout on his lips.

 

“No! You’re cool,” Johnny says with a smile. “Besides cleaning up and covering my knee well, you’re practically my hero in PE. Thanks again for that.” Not like Ten? In what alternate universe is that even possible? Johnny doesn’t like seeing Ten sad, or anything close to it. If Ten wants to lighten the mood, then that’s what he’ll get.

 

“Hey, Ten,” Johnny says. “I have a question.”

 

The other boy turns to him. “Yeah, sure. Shoot.”

 

He has no idea what’s happening, but worse comes to worst, Ten can just not talk to him ever again. But he might as well give it a shot. Smirking with a confidence he’s faking, Johnny says, “If you're here, who's running heaven?”  

 

“WHAT?!” Ten shouts before dissolving into a fit of giggles. Save for Jaehwan from PE class and another third year called Jung Sewoon, who make shushing gestures at them; no one else seems to have noticed Ten’s outburst.

 

Johnny shrugs. At least Ten hasn’t flipped him a finger and told him to fuck off, which to him is a good sign.

 

Once Ten stops laughing, he quips, “I don’t know. I think heaven can function without me a bit longer. I need more time to observe the hot guys here on Earth.”

 

Johny isn’t sure what to make of the wink Ten throws him after that. Lucky for him, his body seems to have recovered from that before the rest of his brain can catch up with what’s happening.

 

“I guess there’s no use telling God I found his missing angel.” Honestly, he’s surprised he’s not stuttering or tripping on his own words.

 

Before Ten can respond, someone calls for him to be on standby. Ten pats Johnny’s shoulder before he stands up. Johnny isn’t certain whether he imagined the disappointment in Ten’s eyes. “Duty calls, I suppose. This angel’s got to fly away now,” Ten says with a sigh. But he doesn’t leave without squeezing Johnny’s bicep.

 

When Ten is out of earshot, Johnny hears a quiet round of applause. Looking over to the direction of the noise, he sees his Taeyong, Hansol, Yuta, and Youngmin standing nearby, with different looks of amusement on their faces. It seems like while he and Ten were talking, his friends have decided to lurk nearby and be a bunch of nosy assholes. To his relief, Taeil is still in front of the cameras. Otherwise, he would have had to deal with Taeil’s quiet, all-knowing smile as well.

 

“Looks like you’re not as hopeless as we thought you were,” Taeyong says before all four of them dissolve into fits of laughter.

 

“Congratulations, Johnny. You didn’t self-combust,” Hansol says between chuckles.

 

“But that was lame, even for you,” Youngmin adds, shaking his head in amusement.

 

“How I did not sound like a complete idiot is beyond me. How do you all live in the presence of an angel?” Johnny asks before he can stop himself.

 

He glances over at Ten’s direction, the object of his affections laughing at something Jaehwan and Sewoon said or did. When Ten looks up, their eyes meet, and they exchange smiles before Johnny goes back to glaring at his friends. His friends are judging him, but right now all he knows is how beautiful Ten’s smile is.

 

“You make me sick,” Yuta grumbles, throwing one of the discarded cardboard slates at Johnny’s head.

  
  
  
  
  


Johnny’s combing his hair at half-past seven at Taeyong’s orders (“It’s just PE class Taeyong.” “Ten will be there. If you want to impress him, you can’t go there looking like you just rolled out of bed.” “We’re sleep-deprived seniors. I’m sure he’s seen me looking even worse.” “That’s rich, coming from someone who fashion evaluates us all.” “THAT’S ONLY FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS!”), before putting a beanie over his head. It’s not like they’re going on a date after PE class and run away into the sunset. It’s just school. Johnny has a long list of priorities and his hair in the morning for a class that makes him all sweaty is at the bottom of the list (even though there’s someone to impress).

 

Miss Park had somehow forgotten to inform them that she was flying out of the country to judge a dance competition and that she was giving them a free day for the next two weeks. Hansol had already walked off, declaring that he’ll be heading to the library to work on his thesis. Johnny’s about to send his thesis partners a message so they can do some more thesis work when Ten taps him on the shoulder. Johnny thinks Ten asked him out for coffee, and he almost wonders whether he’s dreaming it all if not for the shy smile on Ten’s lips.

 

“What time is your next class?” Ten cheerily asks as they walk next to each other, arms hitting each other now and then.

 

“Two-and-a-half hours from now. You?” Johnny manages to smile back.

 

“Same.”

 

They end up at the coffee shop across campus. Johnny is a little nervous since this is his first time alone with Ten ever since the student council filming incident. This is all he thinks about while he and Ten order their coffee and look for a spot in the usually full coffee shop. Johnny is about to give up when Ten sees a table for two at the corner. They rush toward it as fast as their boiling hot coffee cups will let them.

 

Save for exchanging a few cheesy pick-up lines and asking for help in PE; this is the first time they’ll be talking and hanging out. It’s like a bad game of Twenty Questions, with them just spilling basics about each other. However, their conversation indeed picks up when they learn that they both grew up outside Korea. They spend the rest of the time talking about their respective hometowns and exchange stories of culture shock when they first arrived in Korea. Apparently, Ten is friends with Jaehyun and Donghyun, who are dating Taeyong and Youngmin respectively, so playing third-wheel to their friends is also a safe source of conversation. They continue chatting long after they’ve finished their coffee and are heading back to campus. They end up being almost late for their respective classes, which funnily enough are next door to each other.

 

Going out for coffee with Ten becomes a regular thing in between class, club activities, and doing thesis requirements. It keeps Johnny from losing his mind over what to do or what to say to Ten. Johnny likes to think there’s progress in his relationship with Ten; however, regarding romance, it seems like it’s at a standstill. If anything, his crush on Ten probably intensified, now that he’s discovered that Ten is actually an angel, besides looking like one. Taeyong and the others make it a point to tease him about this every living, breathing second of his life.  

  
  
  
  


Despite being a minor subject that completely has no overall bearing on his GPA, PE class scares Johnny more than anything. The mid-term has already happened, which was pretty much a recap of all the moves they learned so far and dancing to the music. Johnny bets the only reason Miss Park didn’t outright fail him was that he always shows up in class and actually tries. However, Johnny isn’t sure how much perseverance he has left to pull him through the rest of the term.

 

The final exam was supposedly a dance battle with the class split into two teams who will perform at the dance club’s year end concert. However, the show takes place after Johnny's exams and Jaehwan’s requirements for the foreign exchange program are due, which is why both Johnny and Jaehwan find themselves inside Miss Park’s office after class.  

 

“As much as I want to give you both an A in this class, what you’ve been showing in class is below average,” she says as soon as she enters her office. “ I see you both work hard to catch up, but the difference in skill between you two and some of your classmates is too difficult to ignore.”

 

Johnny and Jaehwan exchange miserable looks. Miss Park probably notices because she adds, “It’s not that I’m saying you’re both hopeless. I know it’s unfair to compare you both with some of the dance club members, but you two were unfortunate to have the bar set too high.”

 

Johnny and Jaehwan remain silent as Miss Park pauses to take a drink. Johnny has no idea what he’s supposed to say. Jaehwan looks at him and shrugs. Then again, does Miss Park expect them to say when she is most likely to drop a bomb on their heads? Miss Park spares both of them from having to speak.

 

“I don’t intend to keep you here much longer, so I’ll get to the point,” Miss Park says, clapping her hands. Johnny and Jaehwan sit up a little straighter on their seats than they were earlier. “Since you both won’t be participating in the dance club’s year-end showcase, I will hold a separate final exam for you both. You will still learn the choreography Ten and Hansol will teach the rest of the class, and you two will perform what you’ve learned two weeks before the seniors’ final exams.”

 

This is the first time Johnny has ever been on the verge of failing (at least by his standards) class. And of all classes, it has to be freaking PE.  The only good thing about graduating is that Johnny won’t be sticking out like a sore thumb among his classmates in the dance club’s year-end show. Johnny would have probably been happy to get a D in PE if it wasn’t going to affect his overall GPA. However, as a contender for valedictorian, a D in his records (even if it’s just PE) may reflect negatively on him.

 

Johnny only vaguely remembers walking out of Miss Park’s office with Jaehwan following behind him. He also recalls the same fear their eyes had when they bid each other goodbye. He has no idea how he ended up at the social sciences foyer. He’s already dealing with his other classes, and it doesn’t help that Father Jung's hard to please. There’s also thesis, which thankfully, hasn’t blow up in their faces (despite a few fights he and his group mates had). There are also student council duties and trying to get the rest of the student body more involved with council projects. He also has to decide which job offer he wants to accept. These are choices that can affect the whole course of his life. Now, being bad at PE is the latest addition to his growing list of problems. He lies on the gravelly ground, not caring who sees him and closes his eyes.  

 

“Had you not been contending for honors, I think you would have been fine with getting a D for a final grade,” Miss Park’s voice rings in his head. “I want to give you a high grade, John, but I also want you to deserve it. Like I said, you already work hard, but I know you still have more to show.”

    

What else can Johnny do? He pays attention in class and even asks Taeyong for help in the apartment. However, Johnny feels like he didn't improve from his first day in class. He’s still as stiff as a wall, and his limbs go on to hit the unfortunate person next to him or in front of him, with his most frequent victims being Jaehwan, Woojin, Mark, and Jungwoo.  

 

Johnny has no idea how he managed to fall asleep on the hard, gravelly foyer, but he feels someone shaking him awake. He sees Taeyong, Taeil, Hansol, and Yuta standing over him, with concern written on their faces. He says nothing while he allows Hansol and Yuta to pull him up. All of them have the same “done-with-life” look Johnny probably has in his own eyes. He can’t blame them. After all, Hansol intends to graduate with two degrees in two months, plus he has dance club matters to think of. U-League is ongoing, and Yuta’s under pressure to defend the school’s three-peat football championship title. Taeyong’s got dance club and his thesis to work on, while Taeil’s taking up an honor’s course, not to mention his student council president duties, and doing an internship with a government office. Johnny relishes whatever impromptu time all five of them can spend together.

 

They settle for hanging out at a coffee shop across campus, the same one Johnny frequents with Ten. They all slouch against the couches for a few minutes before forcing themselves to pull out their required readings or laptops and forcing themselves to work in comfortable companionship. They only interrupt themselves from working to order coffee or food to prevent themselves from getting thrown out.

 

“What were you doing sleeping at the social sciences foyer, Johnny?” Hansol asks during one of their study breaks.

 

“Just contemplating on what kind of hell you’ll be subjecting me to before I can be free from PE,” Johnny half-jokes.

 

More than being the street dance PE classes’ final exam performance, the dance club’s year-end showcase is a skill showcase among the graduating seniors. Rumor has it that Miss Park invites people from entertainment companies every year to watch the concert. As the outgoing president, Hansol is determined to put on a show no one will forget, and the PE class he’ll be handling will serve as his backup dancers. Although Johnny himself won’t be participating in the actual concert, he still has to learn the moves.  

 

A small, fond smile forms on Hansol’s lips. “It’s not flashy, regarding stunts. I had fun teaching the class… and making fun of you, Johnny,” Hansol chuckles, narrowly dodging Johnny’s arm by hiding behind Yuta. “I want the choreography to show it. I’m thinking of doing something lighthearted and mostly chill.”  

 

For all Johnny’s apprehension at what Hansol’s coming up with, he admires Hansol’s passion for dancing and all the different styles and techniques he’s taught himself over the years. Johnny doesn’t understand everything Hansol is saying, with occasional comments from Taeyong, but he guesses Hansol has put so much thought and meaning into his piece.

 

Taeyong nods from across the table. “I’ve seen Hansol’s choreography for your class, and it’s simple but fun to do,” he says.

 

“I could hear you guys laughing from outside the dance studios on the way to the field,” Yuta adds. “Was that what you guys were laughing about?”

 

“Probably,” Hansol replies. Seeing the worried look Johnny tries controlling, Hansol adds, “I won’t allow you to look stupid or fail PE, Johnny.”  

 

“You won’t fail, Johnny. You’re not the type to quit,” Taeil says so softly that Johnny almost misses it. “You give your best in all that you do, so you should be fine.”

 

“Besides, who the hell fails PE?” Yuta asks, looking like he’s torn between laughing and looking scandalized.

 

Hansol smiles as he wraps an around Johnny’s shoulders. “It’s something you’ll be able to pull off. I promise.”  

  
  
  
  


Johnny “moves like a flobberworm” (Ji, 2017) when Miss Park, Hansol, and Ten attempt to coax a body wave out of them all. Hansol’s choreography may not require them to do any handstands, backflips, or any other ridiculous acrobatics and movements that Taeyong’s routine has, but Hansol’s choreography involves the use of a lot of limbs and muscles Johnny never knew existed.  

Despite Hansol’s assurance at the coffee shop, Johnny should have known that any choreography Hansol comes up with will be a nightmare for him to follow. He has watched Hansol dance long enough to know that. After the fifth time Johnny trips over his feet during the fast part of the footwork, Hansol’s smile is a lot tighter, and his laughter sounds more forced than it was earlier while he helps Johnny up. Johnny apologizes once again, and he means it each time. He just wants to graduate, not give Hansol another reason to have that mental breakdown he’s been saying was long overdue. Hansol is competitive and a perfectionist… not to mention stressed. A combination of all three things makes Hansol a blood-thirsty beast that not even Yuta can tame, and Johnny refuses to let his less-than-average dance skills be the reason Hansol murders him in his sleep.

 

Johnny’s trying, really he is. It’s just that he takes a little more time compared with the others in the class to learn the steps and execute them to the best of his abilities. Johnny likes to think he isn’t as hopeless as he was when the term started, but he needs all the time he can get to dance like he wants to graduate. Meaning, setting aside time to do it on top of his other subjects, his thesis, student council duty, debate team training, his social life, job-hunting, and other activities. If he wants to graduate on time, he needs to make some sacrifices.  

 

He tells Hansol this much when class is dismissed. However, the guilty scowl on Hansol’s face tells Johnny all he needs to know.  

 

“I want to help, man, but I have two theses to work on, plus come up with choreography for my solo piece,” Hansol tells him as soon as Johnny’s done explaining his predicament. “If I take on another thing, I might as well not sleep for the rest of my college life.”

 

Johnny sighs. That is true. Hansol already has too much on his plate, and Johnny doesn’t want to add to his misery and stress. “I know it looks like I’m abandoning you,” Hansol says, guilt dripping in his voice. However, the guilt is automatically replaced by a smirk. “But I know someone who can help you.” Johnny follows Hansol’s eyes, which are searching the room until they land on Ten and Jaehwan.    

 

“Ten!” Hansol calls out, and Ten comes over to them, with Jaehwan following behind him.

 

“Yeah, what, Hansol? Oh, hey, Johnny,” Ten greets them once they’re within reasonable speaking distance. “Good work today. You’ve been improving.” Johnny almost assumes this is sarcasm if not for the genuine smile on Ten’s lips.

 

“Hey, Ten,” Hansol says without much preamble. “You know the choreography almost as well as I do, right?”

 

Ten rolls his eyes. “Duh. We’ve been working on it for months that it’s almost a collaboration between the two of us instead of just me assisting you,” he replies.

 

Hansol smiles, and suddenly, Johnny has a feeling where this is heading. “Great!” Hansol says, pushing Johnny a bit toward Ten. “See, Johnny here needs extra help in getting it down, and well, I’m dying as it is. So I was—”

 

“You want me to help Johnny with it, yeah?” Ten interrupts Hansol. “Sure, no problem.” As he says it, his eyes are on Johnny the whole time. Johnny finds himself smiling back at Ten, but he’s not sure whether it’s out of relief or just because Ten’s smile is infectious. “I’m helping Jaehwan anyway. Johnny, you can join us… If you want?”  

 

Johnny exchanges a look with Hansol, who just smirks at him. He can’t believe Hansol is still holding Johnny’s crush on Ten against him and using it to his advantage. The way Johnny sees it, Hansol did this because he gets to have more time for his other requirements while hearing stories about Johnny embarrassing himself in front of Ten. From what Johnny knows of Jaehwan, the applied music major is most likely to talk if anyone asks. The last thing Johnny wants is to impose on Ten’s time and make a fool of himself in front of Ten. However, he’s also desperate to graduate. Besides, it’s nice to spend more time with Ten.

 

“Sure. Why not?”

 

“Six pm later at the third-floor dance studios?”

 

Johnny nods, smiling. “Sounds great.”  

  
  
  
  


Johnny might kill Ten, no matter how attractive and angelic he is off the dance floor. If not Ten, maybe Hansol for coming up with this routine and delivering him in Ten’s hands. Maybe he’ll let them both live long enough for Hansol to submit his thesis and for Ten to take his final exams, but after that, Johnny’s killing them both. Johnny thinks he should be more concerned about his PE grade, but the way Ten is yelling at both Johnny and Jaehwan for every mistake they make has Johnny wondering whether passing this exam is worth all the stress. Whatever patience Ten had for teaching them in the classroom is gone. Ten alternates between being encouraging (“You’re doing great, Johnny.”) and being a demon sent to earth to torment him (“What is that, Johnny? I’m sure my bedridden grandma can roll her body more smoothly than that.”).

As much as “Me Like Yuh” is a good song, having to dance to it for his finals makes Johnny never want to hear it for as long as he lives. He might as well try killing Jay Park for bringing this song to existence.  

“In the name of a good grade,” Jaehwan groans from the floor once Ten calls for a water break. Johnny himself is leaning against the mirrors. The floor is covered in sweat and shoe marks and is some levels of unhygienic in Johnny’s eyes, but Jaehwan is already planting his one side of his face against the hardwood. “We just have to do this for a few more days, and we’ll hopefully pass PE and be free from this bull...”

“Get up, fatass,” Ten crouches to pull Johnny’s arm, and Johnny allows Ten to pull him up anyway. Ten looks at Jaehwan before kicking him on the side. “That’s disgusting, and we have to rerun the routine.”

“Bitch, don’t kick me,” Jaehwan whines, but still rolls over before getting up.

Johnny is sweaty and smelly, and he just wants to go home and shower. He is so many levels of disgusting that Taeyong will probably have him exiled to God knows where. He wonders how long he can stay in the shower tonight because he needs to submerge himself in hot water for several hours to regain any semblance of humanity.

Johnny tries not to stare at Ten when he moves to start the music from the top and sighs deeply. At some point during practice, the room gets colder, and Ten starts coughing. Johnny tries not to stare at Ten shivering underneath that too loose tank top which allows Johnny to see every muscle move whenever Ten demonstrates a particular step he and Jaehwan should be following. (“Pervert,” Taeyong deadpans when Johnny talks about this.)

Johnny doesn’t think twice before he strips his hoodie and heads over to Ten. “Here. You need it more than I do,” he says with a smile. With all the dancing he’s been doing in this dance studio, Johnny’s been sweating like crazy that any semblance of cold is welcome right now. Then again, he’s wearing a T-shirt which is slightly warmer than Ten’s tank top.

Ten frowns at Johnny for a second and sniffs at the hoodie before putting it on over his tank top. Johnny determinedly ignores Jaehwan’s poorly concealed laughter when they run through the routine again. Johnny ignores the pointed stares Jaehwan sends him for the rest of practice. There’s a slight red tint across Ten’s face, and Johnny isn’t sure whether it’s because it’s warm or if it’s because Ten is wearing Johnny’s clothes.

(Johnny ignores the way Hansol’s voice rings in his head saying, “This is your chance, Johnny!” This is exactly what Hansol said when he had shoved Johnny under Ten’s care.)

 

At some point, Jaehwan excuses himself for the night, citing early morning glee club practice. Johnny would have stepped out that door with him had Ten not decided that Johnny needs to go through the dance a few more times before they can leave. “Use protection!” Jaehwan says with an obviously well-trained vibrato (with Johnny’s soul practically leaving his body and Ten giving him a middle finger) before slamming the door shut.

 

For every time Ten asks him to move more crisply and gracefully, Johnny body responds by being more sluggish. It’s not like he’s doing it on purpose. It’s just that his body has reached that point wherein every muscle burns at the slightest movement. It doesn’t help that whenever Ten touches his arms to guide him on how to do the choreography, Johnny gets distracted by how small and soft Ten’s hands are.

 

By the time Ten announces that they’re done for the night, Johnny’s muscles are screaming in pain after all the agony they’ve been through all night. He’s lying face-first on the floor (despite judging Jaehwan for it earlier). He probably needs a good night’s sleep to able to look at Ten like anything but the bringer of the apocalypse.

 

However, Ten seems to like playing spoiler to all his plans as sits next to Johnny. “Come on, Johnny. Let’s walk home together…” Ten says, with a bright smile on his face as if he didn’t just unleash hell on earth hours ago.

 

There’s nothing Johnny wants more than to get out of Ten’s demonic clutches and immerse himself in a nice, long shower before he resumes working on his other requirements.

 

In the mood for some revenge, Johnny barks out, “ _Really, Ten? Really?_ After putting me through hell and back?” Johnny knows he's over dramatic. But every bone in his body is aching, and it makes him feel like he aged by at least fifty years. Johnny owes it to himself to put Ten through some kind of guilt-trip at the very least.

 

Ten says nothing as he leans against the mirrors with a pout on his lips. Under normal circumstances, Johnny would have already given in. However, every move he makes burns his limbs, and he had barely survived Ten screaming at him to get his shit together the whole night. A wounded ego and an exhausted body are both acceptable when they occur separately. However, Johnny has to tend to both at the same time, and his mental and physical capacity are far from capable in dealing with both right now.

 

A pair of hands kneads at the tight muscles on Johnny’s back. Johnny looks at the mirror to see Ten sitting on top of his back. “I wish I could say I’m sorry for being harsh on you, but I can’t,” Ten says in what Johnny suspects is his attempt at a cute voice, his lips next to Johnny’s ear. “I just want both you and Jaehwannie to do well in your finals. There’s a lot at stake for you both, right?”

 

Johnny knows that much, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be upset and slightly frustrated at Ten’s control-freak tendencies and perfectionism that can give both Taeyong and Hansol a run for their money. Those smooth hands travel along his back, soothing some of Johnny’s aching muscles. Johnny’s resolve wavers with every moan of relief that slips out of his lips. Ten seems to know it too because the smile on his lips is nothing but victorious. Honestly, is there anything Ten can’t do? As much Johnny wants to have Ten relieve his aching muscles the rest of the night, they need to get out of campus before all gates are closed.

 

Ten seems to have the same idea because he gets off Johnny’s back before helping Johnny stand up. “Let’s go get dinner? We can get you some relief bandages on the way.” Ten asks, with a small smile. “I can give you a massage at my dorm before you head back to your room?”

 

“Dinner and muscle relaxant bandages sound great,” Johnny replies, trying to keep the exhaustion out of his voice. As much as Johnny would like to finish the massage Ten started because every single muscle in his body is screaming in agony, he has other requirements to fulfill back in the dorm. He groans as he remembers that he has a paper due tomorrow that’s only halfway done. “But as much as I’d love to spend the night in your loving arms, I have a shit-ton of school stuff to deal with.”

 

Ten groans, as if commiserating with him as they walk out of the dance studio. They grab dinner at the McDonald’s across campus, which was one of the few places open at this hour. Ten also teaches Johnny how to apply the muscle relaxant bandages without making himself look like a mummy. Like a real gentleman, Johnny wraps an arm around Ten’s shoulders while walking back to Ten’s dorm building. Though Ten is far from being a damsel in distress, it’s still cold, and there are creeps out on the streets. Ten doesn’t show any sign of protest, and Johnny tries not to die when Ten leans into Johnny’s touch.             

 

By the time they reach Ten’s dorm room, Johnny had forgotten that Ten is still wearing his hoodie. He only remembers when Ten assures him that he’ll return it once he’s done laundry. Johnny shakes his head, assuring Ten that he doesn’t mind. He has a few others like it anyway. Ten protests, saying that it was only fair that he gives it back as soon as possible.

 

“You look good in my clothes, anyway,” Johnny says with a shot of confidence that came out of nowhere. He winks at Ten before waving goodbye and heading back to his dorm.

 

It’s only a few hours later, once he’s back in his room, after a nice long bath that he asks himself,

 

What just happened?

  
  
  
  


“You’re only hanging out with Ten these days,” Taeyong says during one of the rare nights they’re both actually home from class before 10 pm, and there are no requirements due the next day. They’re both on the couch, deciding what movie they want to watch on Johnny’s laptop. Having time to rest is many levels of weird, but Johnny welcomes the respite nonetheless.

 

“He’s helping Jaehwan and me with PE finals, remember?” Johnny says

 

“Why didn’t you ask Hansol for help?”

 

Johnny sighs. “In case you forgot, Hansol’s working on his theses for both majors. God knows why he even took up a double major… He told Ten to help me. Hansol looks like he’s about to die.”

 

“People are almost beginning to forget how your face looked like.”

 

“We live together. How could you forget how I look like?” Johnny rolls his eyes. “We also just had dinner with Yuta, Hansol, and Taeil, remember?”

 

“Other than Ten and us. You haven’t been spotted with anyone else.”

 

Johnny scoffs. “Excuse you. I hang out with Sehun, Jonghyun, Shiah, Wendy, and Mijoo every weekend.”

 

“You guys are thesis group mates too. Doesn’t count,” Taeyong deadpans at him.

 

“I also spend a lot of time with Kenta, Minhyun, Hyojung, Hyeri, Soojung, Seongwoo, and Jongin,” Johnny protests. “Taeil and Youngmin can confirm this.”

 

Taeyong rolls his eyes. “You’re all on the student council. Doesn’t count either.”  

 

Why are they even having this conversation?  “Fine, Taeyong. I’ll take the bait. What are you trying to say?”

 

“You and Ten have been going on these fake dates for god-knows how long already and your relationship is at a standstill,” Taeyong says, rolling his eyes.

 

“My relationship with Ten is just fine.”

 

“You mean your lack of one.”

 

“What do you mean lack of one?” Johnny all but screeches (in a manly fashion, in case anyone asks). “We’re just friends, Taeyong.”

 

Johnny stands up and heads for the door, but Taeyong’s voice stops him. “Oh yeah? Friends don’t use cheesy as hell pick up lines on each other. I mean… We sure as hell don’t do that.”

 

“That’s because you’re taken and not my type. OK. Case closed.” Johnny puts a hand on the doorknob and is about to exit toward the kitchen.

 

“NOT JUST YET!” Taeyong says, sitting up on the couch, pointing at Johnny. “You even bring each other coffee with cute notes on them. I mean, the only person I ever do that for is Jaehyun, and we’re dating.”

 

Johnny rolls his eyes. “What? Can’t I be a supportive friend now?”

 

“You two even went to check out the museum that was out of town alone. That sounds like a date to me.”

 

Johnny shrugs, trying to play it cool. “Yeah, we did… But that’s because he said no one else wanted to go with him and I also wanted to check it out for a while now. I don’t think it was a date though?” The museum trip was the most fun Johnny had, despite all that school-related stress, and it helped that Ten is a fellow art enthusiast.  

Taeyong has more to say because he’s put down the laptop to stare straight at Johnny, who lets go of the doorknob and moves to sit next to Taeyong on the couch again.

“You throw a fit when I borrow your clothes, yet you take off your hoodie or jacket and let Ten wear it every time he says he’s cold,” Taeyong points out.

“It’s not like I needed them at the moment!” Johnny says, putting up his hands in defense. “I’d lend it to you guys too if you just asked.”

“But you’d ask for it back as soon as we step out of class.” Taeyong rolls his eyes. “But you have yet to get any of your jackets back from Ten… Except the debate team one. I saw him wearing your white hoodie on the way to dance practice this morning. Not even Jaehyun and I have reached the point of wearing each other’s clothes.”

“That’s because your styles are so different and your clothes won’t fit him. Duh.” What is with Taeyong and analyzing everything he and Ten are doing? Can’t Johnny enjoy a friend’s company (not to mention his crush on Ten) in peace?

Sighing, Johnny asks, “What’s with all the questions anyway? I mean we’ve been freaking living together since first year, and I don’t see anyone asking us if we’re getting married.”

Taeyong lets out a sound Johnny isn’t sure is a scream or a sigh. “First of all, everyone knows I’m in love with Jaehyun. Second, it’s not about me. This is about you. It’s just... Are you keeping Ten around?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Taeyong sighs, and Johnny suddenly feels like he’s one of those elementary school kids they mentor for community service. “What I mean is how do you see Ten after all this? I mean, sure you had a crush on him back then… but now you two are pretty close… and I just wonder though… what happens next?”  

 

For the first time all night, Johnny has no idea what to say. The last few months have been the most fun he’s had, and it’s definitely because of Ten. Johnny no longer trips on his words when he’s around Ten, and he can confidently flirt with and engage in skinship with him. He never even expected to make it to this point with Ten.

Johnny sighs, his eyes on the wooden floor. Taeyong deserves the truth at least. “Ten’s a really great guy, and I think I like where we are right now. I don’t want to get my hopes up for more than what we have, considering we’re both busy with school and in my case, graduation and job offers.”

 

Taeyong nods, as if in understanding. “What I meant was… Now that you’ve gotten to know Ten better, do you see him as just a friend? Or do you see him as someone you want to date, hold hands with, make out with, or possibly even marry?”

 

Even when Johnny is far from being the best student in PE class, Ten always smiles at him like he just killed a thousand dragons whenever he gets the steps right. Getting to know him better and hanging out with him increased that feeling. When Ten brings him coffee and dinner during yet another stressful night working on his thesis, Johnny feels like he’s king of the world.

 

“This is all so new to me, and I’m scared of things going too fast, and then ending too soon,” Johnny sighs, staring at his hands. He never asked for feelings. All he wanted was an easy PE class and to graduate. “I… I can’t predict the future, but the thought of Ten and I being together for the long-haul, or maybe even for keeps? Yeah, I’d like that, but I don’t even know how Ten feels about me. Like I said, this is all so new, and I don’t want to get my hopes up.”

 

“I think Ten likes you enough to wear your clothes and to keep going on fake dates with you.”

 

Johnny stretches an arm and aims for the back of Taeyong’s head. “They are not fake dates. Can we please drop this?”

 

Taeyong shakes his head. “You are officially a lost cause.”  

  
  
  
  


On the last night of practice before the PE exam, Ten shows no sign of going easy on Johnny and Jaehwan. Not even borrowing yet another one of Johnny’s jackets is a good enough bargaining chip for him to cut them some slack. Johnny reflects on his life choices when the music stops and wonders whether he did enough in his life to be at peace with dying in the middle of the dance floor because he feels like he’s one step closer to death every time they rerun the routine. This is despite their improvement from the first day of class, or so Ten says.

 

“You both just lack confidence in yourselves,” Ten tells them when they’re finally done for the night. Ten has opted to let Johnny and Jaehwan off early since they can execute the routine to a standard that satisfies him (and will hopefully satisfy Miss Park tomorrow morning) and they need all the rest they can get before the exam first thing in the morning.

 

Jaehwan looks like he’s about to say something when Ten adds, “I meant genuine faith in your abilities, not that fake, ironic confidence you’ve got going for yourself, Jaehwan.”  

 

Both Johnny and Jaehwan move to stand up and leave, with Ten saying he’ll stay a bit longer to start thinking of his performance for the dance club’s year-end concert. He’s running for dance club president, and if he inherits the title from Hansol, Ten has to perform a self-choreographed piece. Jaehwan has given his friend a one-armed hug before leaving, muttering something about “a prayer Olympic village” on his way out.

 

Johnny is about to follow Jaehwan on his way out when he remembers something else.

 

“Hey, Ten?” he whispers, hoping his voice can still be heard over the music.

 

“Hmm?” Ten turns to him, tilting his head.

 

“I…” Johnny struggles to piece the words together. “I just wanted to say thanks.”

 

Ten smiles. “Of course. As both your TA and friend, I have to help you pass. You’re actually not a bad dancer, Johnny. You just lack confidence and proper control of your limbs.” They both chuckle at that.

 

“Not just that!” Johnny said quickly. “I wanted to say thanks for putting up with me in class and actually not killing me.”

 

Ten lets out a loud laugh at that. “I didn’t feel like having any blood on my hands. Otherwise, I’d have been deported back to Bangkok or face life imprisonment,” he deadpans. Johnny lets out an appreciative snort before Ten continues talking. “Besides, if I were going to kill anyone in class, Jaehwan would have been on top of my list. It would be a waste to let someone as hot as you die young.”

 

“You’re not bad yourself, Ten,” Johnny says almost instinctively. “It would have been an honor to die in the hands of an angel.”

 

They share another laugh at that. Johnny is about to leave the room when Ten says, “I…”

 

“Yeah?” Johnny asks.

 

Ten smiles and shakes his head. “It’s nothing.”

 

“You sure?”

 

“Yeah. Good luck in the final tomorrow, Johnny. You’ll do great.”

 

Johnny walks over to wrap Ten in a quick hug. “Thanks, Ten,” Johnny whispers, resting his chin on Ten’s head. “I doubt I’d have made it this far without you.”

 

Ten stiffens slightly in Johnny’s hold, and Johnny almost lets go for fear of having offended him. However, Ten relaxes in Johnny’s hold and even wraps his arms around Johnny’s neck.

 

“Don’t be silly. I’m happy to have gotten to know you.” Johnny's shirt muffles Ten's words.

 

When their eyes meet, Johnny wonders whether it’s a trick of the moonlight, but Ten’s eyes shine brighter than they usually do. There’s serenity in his eyes, and that small, soft smile makes Johnny want to snuggle Ten deeper into his arms. Despite the weather getting colder, warmth spreads through Johnny’s body as Ten’s hands slide from his neck to rest in front of his chest and rest his head on Johnny’s shoulder. The feel of Ten’s body close to Johnny’s soothes him more than he ever expected. It takes a while before they pull apart, and Johnny heads out the door with thoughts of nothing else but how perfectly Ten fit in his arms.  

  
  
  
  


In case anyone asks, that PE practical exam is probably the longest one minute and forty seconds of his life. Much to Johnny’s surprise, he and Jaehwan manage to pull off Hansol’s choreography even better than the last rehearsal they did with Ten. He suspects it’s a combination of desperation, luck, and having Ten drill that routine in their minds that it was almost instinct for them to dance that when the music plays. Johnny may be a little bit stiffer than what Miss Park would like, but at least he can control his limbs better than the time he hit both Jaehwan and Woojin in the face back when the term was just starting.

 

By the time he’s done dancing, he catches Hansol nodding approvingly, and Ten is giving him a thumbs-up. Miss Park immediately excuses Johnny and Jaehwan from class after their finals, and both of them promptly rush out of the dance studio, but not before thanking Miss Park, Hansol, and Ten profusely.

 

With PE class out of the way, Johnny still has the rest of his life to focus on: his thesis defense, international debate competitions, the student council elections, final exams, and job offers. Johnny doesn’t get to see Ten that much after his PE exams. It’s not like he means to avoid physically being with Ten now that he is free from PE and he can now enjoy his crush on Ten in silence. (Rather, as much silence as he can get considering all his friends are also friends with Ten.) It’s just that Ten also has his academic responsibilities and dance club practice.

 

Johnny has just gotten out of their thesis defense (which they thankfully did well in, despite the panel giving them hell) when he finally bothers to look at his phone. There’s a message from Ten, which has a timestamp of around three hours ago.

 

_“Good luck with thesis defense, Johnny. I’m sure you’ll be great.”_

 

Save for Taeyong; Ten is the only other person outside his department who wished him luck for thesis defense. The fact that Ten actually remembered this when Johnny only mentioned it once before makes Johnny smile as he types out a reply.

 

_“Thanks, Ten! We actually just finished and now my friends are arguing among themselves where we should celebrate our freedom.”_

 

Johnny doesn’t expect Ten to reply. If he remembers correctly, Ten has class around this time. Why does Johnny even know that? He doesn’t even know Taeyong’s class schedule and they live together.   

His phone buzzes. _“When’s your last exam day?”_

 

Johnny hears the bell ring. Ten’s class is probably over by now. Johnny suddenly doesn’t feel guilty replying. _“On the 19th.”_

 

Ten’s message arrives just as Sehun finally declares that they’re postponing their victory dinner to when everyone’s tests are over. _“Same. Great. See you by then! Gotta go! I have another class. Good luck for the rest of your finals, Johnny!”_

Finals season is in full swing, and the seniors in campus has probably lost their minds. In their own dorm building, Dongho has taken to beating down the doors of anyone whose voice could be heard along the corridors which distracted everyone from their precious study time. (“This is hopefully the last set of finals we’ll ever study for,” Taeyong says while handing him a cup of coffee.) Johnny’s head is about to crack open after studying for one exam after another. The different topics he’s studying for are all beginning to blur in his mind, and Johnny almost falls asleep if not for the sound of his phone jolting him awake.

Johnny pulls his phone closer to him and unlocks his screen to see a message from Ten. _“Save me from advertising management class, Johnny. End me now so I never have to present to the client.”_

 

Johnny chuckles at the message. He hardly replies to people while he studies, but Ten is a decent distraction from his own development economics woes. _“Idiot… I can’t kill you. I’ll have blood on my hands. Can’t afford to go to jail before graduation.”_

 

He has barely put down his phone when Ten replies. _“It’ll be the sweetest death, Johnny. Come on, save me from my misery. That way you don’t have to do your final exams either! Win-win, yeah?”_

 

“Silly boy…” Johnny mutters as he types out his reply. _“You’ll do well, Ten. You and your group mates have been working on that pitch for weeks. You guys will blow the client away.”_  

 

Ten has been ranting about that pitch, which serves as their final exam. Apparently, Ten and his group have to present an actual campaign proposal to a client, like how advertising companies do it in the real world. At least, that’s what Ten has told him.

 

Just when Johnny thinks Ten might have fallen asleep, his reply comes. _“Thanks, Johnny. It means a lot. I know you’ve also got a lot on your plate. Good luck to us with the rest of our exams!”_

 

Johnny barely realizes that he’s smiling while types out and sends a quick _“Thanks. You too. See you after exams… assuming we’re both alive.”_

 

_“I demand you treat me to samgyupsal when we meet.”_

 

Johnny snorts as he types out one last reply. He really has to resume studying. Ten’s too good a distraction as it is.

 

_“Whatever you say, Princess.”_

 

Johnny doesn’t bother waiting for Ten to reply, shoving his phone under random papers to prevent any more distractions. He stares at the words on the page in front of him; they’re still on sustainable development. For some reason, Johnny begins to think. Not of his remaining exams; the possibility of graduating as valedictorian; what his future will be once he graduates; not even of Taeyong and Jaehyun making out instead of studying in the living area. Instead, he thinks of Ten and how they still talk to and encourage each other long after Johnny’s PE finals, how Ten hadn’t pushed Johnny away when they hugged the night before his test and had even snuggled deeper into Johnny’s embrace. There’s also Ten humoring Johnny’s horrible pickup lines and actually flirting right back. It also doesn’t help that Johnny likes seeing Ten wearing his clothes. The way Ten’s eyes shone under the moonlight in the dance studio haunts almost every single one of Johnny’s dreams.  

 

Johnny steps out of his room to get more coffee. While preparing his drink, he spots Taeyong carrying an extra blanket which he uses to cover Jaehyun, who is asleep on their tiny couch. He almost envies how Taeyong and Jaehyun manage to make time for each other despite both of them being so busy, even if it’s sometimes simply crashing in each other’s rooms. Johnny watches Taeyong plant a soft kiss on Jaehyun’s forehead and brushes his bangs before dimming the lights and heading back to his room, probably to study some more.

 

Heading for his room with his coffee cup in tow, Johnny wonders he and Ten can have something like what Taeyong and Jaehyun have, or maybe even Hansol and Yuta or Youngmin and Donghyun. What does Ten have to do with all this? Sighing to himself, he puts down his coffee mug on his desk and ruffles his hair before lies on his unmade bed. What he feels for Ten, is at the very least, a crush that has gone out of hand. A crush should have faded away as soon as he discovered that Ten isn’t perfect. He may have the face of an angel, but he is also loud, obnoxious, demanding, and sarcastic. That should have been enough reason for Johnny to stop liking him, but he finds himself more drawn to Ten, like a moth to a flame.

 

Good looks and talent aside, Johnny likes the way Ten makes him feel like he’s home whenever they’re together. This is something he hasn’t found in a lot of people despite being a social butterfly. In fact, the only other people he’s found this trait in are Taeyong, Hansol, Yuta, and Taeil, but entertaining the idea of seeing any of them in a romantic notion makes Johnny nauseous. However, imagining Ten that way doesn’t give him the same sick feeling. It almost feels right...

 

Is it love though?

 

Johnny’s got limited experience with romance, considering he’s never been in a committed relationship all his life. The most he has done are a few casual dates that never amounted to something more, due to lack of time or a lack of dedication on both their parts. When Johnny thinks of Ten, he’s suddenly thrown into the great unknown.

 

If Johnny and Ten were to start something, Johnny doesn’t want Ten to end up like the rest of the people of the past. He doesn’t want Ten to forget him if they’re ever forced to part ways. Heck, the idea of parting ways sends shivers down Johnny’s spine (and not in a good way). If anything, Johnny wants Ten to be something more, someone he can show all the skeletons in his closet without worrying that Ten will run away; someone who he can be vulnerable around and will open up to him in return.

 

Love is being with someone who makes him laugh and encourages him even when he’s at his most rotten, someone who embraces all his weaknesses and imperfections; and he has to do all that in return. Sure, there will be fights, but they will have to learn to compromise… After all, love is all about behaving lovingly toward someone even when they're unlovable. Love isn’t a feeling. In the end, it’s a choice you consciously make every living, breathing moment of your life.

 

Is that the future he sees with Ten? Like he already told Taeyong, whatever flirting friendship thing he and Ten have going on is too new to decide anything, so Johnny doesn’t know. However, the way he and Ten encourage each other to be better, both together and apart, not to mention that feeling of being at home, is enough for Johnny to want to be with Ten and work on making this for keeps. For that to happen, Johnny’s going to have to make a move.

 

Like the good friend Johnny is, he decides that someone has to share the weight of this realization with him. He tiptoes as quietly as he can toward Taeyong’s room, taking care not to bother a sleeping Jaehyun in the living area, and softly knocks before entering. He sees Taeyong on his desk, surrounded by a bunch of notes and index cards and a cup of coffee in hand.

 

Taeyong raises an eyebrow at him. “Did you lose another highlighter?”

 

Shaking his head, Johnny announces without further preamble, "I'm doing it. I'm gonna ask Ten out on a date."

 

Taeyong blinks at him for about five seconds before he uncharacteristically throws his papers in the air. “Fucking finally!”

 

Before Johnny can ask him what he means, Taeyong points at the door. “Now, get out of here,” he whispers. “I’ve got my finals to study for!”

 

Johnny pretends he doesn’t see Taeyong pick up his phone (to probably tell everyone else about this) when Taeyong closes the door.

 

Johnny's realization of his real feelings for Ten during exam season just had to be the most inopportune moment of his life.

  
  
  
  


Despite finally being free from exams, Johnny doesn’t have the time to ask Ten out, nor has he figured out how he’ll go about it. Johnny finds himself buried taking part in the screening process for the new debate team captain, as well as turning over files to the incoming student council vice president Kim Chungha. As the newly-elected dance club president, Ten is still busy with rehearsals for the dance club’s year-end showcase, so Johnny is in no rush to confess.

 

Johnny decides to talk a walk down memory lane, kind of literally, as he walks around campus while killing time before the senior send-off party committee meeting. He wanders along the performing arts department, and he hears James Arthur’s “Say You Won't Let Go” blasting from one of the dance studios. Johnny follows the music and finds himself in front of the studio where Ten helped him out with the choreography for PE class.

 

Ten is alone with Myoui Mina, one of the dance club's ballerinas. Johnny watches as Ten and Mina move to the music in sync with each other. Johnny himself may not be a dancer, but he understands that the story Ten and Mina are trying to tell is a story of a couple in love. Johnny feels something rise in his chest as he watches Ten embrace Mina so tenderly as they sway along to the music. The hug is reminiscent of the one Johnny and Ten shared in this same dance studio the night before Johnny’s PE finals. They waltz together until the music fades, and Johnny hopes that the intimacy in their eyes is just for show.

 

As soon as the music stops, Mina high-fives Ten before they dissolve into fits of laughter. Just like that, the illusion of anything romantic happening between Ten and Mina has disappeared, and the uncomfortable feeling in Johnny’s chest fades away. Johnny watches Ten walk to the side of the room, probably to get a drink. Mina’s eyes catch Johnny’s through the mirror. Somehow, she smiles at him when her eyes dart between Ten and him. She gestures for Johnny to come in.

 

Johnny enters the room as quietly as possible, and Ten has his back to him. Perfect. He makes a shushing gesture at Mina who nods before wiping herself with a towel. Johnny sneaks behind Ten, who is taking a drink. Towering over Ten, Johnny puts his hands on Ten’s shoulders, hoping to surprise him. “Boo-potato!”

 

Ten lets out a loud shriek that has both Johnny and Mina laughing. Ten playfully swats Johnny’s arm. “What the hell? I thought you were busy!” he says once both Johnny and Mina calm down.

 

Johnny shrugs. “The graduation party committee meeting isn’t in a few hours, and I heard music, so I came,” he says. Nodding at both Ten and Mina, he adds, “I’m glad I did. Congratulations on becoming the new dance club president, Ten. You’ll make Hansol and Miss Park proud.”

 

“Thanks,” Ten says, with a grin. “We were actually working on my induction piece when you came in.”

 

Johnny nods. “I figured. The choreography looks good. It’s so… romantic. Almost makes you want to believe in love and find someone to grow old with,” he says. He wants to add, But I could be projecting my feelings. He refrains from doing so, only because Mina’s in the room with them.   

 

Ten smiles back at him before shifting his eyes to the floor. “That’s actually what I actually want to achieve, so thanks. I had a lot of inspiration coming up with that one. I also wanted to try something new, that’s why I asked Mina for help.”

 

“You seem to work well together.” Johnny tries keeping the jealousy out of his voice.  

 

“Yeah,” Ten nods at Mina. “Mina’s dancing style surprisingly jives with mine; it was fun to mix ballet, contemporary, and a bit of street dance.”

 

“What I learned from working with Ten is that he likes basing his choreography and music on his personal experiences,” Mina adds, smirking at Ten. Johnny ignores the way Ten’s eyes flash dangerously at Mina. If looks could kill, Mina would have probably been lying in a pool of her blood.

 

Johnny’s heart tries not to sink at Mina’s words. After all, the fact that Ten's feelings inspired this piece. Who could the lucky person be?

 

“I learned that I couldn't trust Myoui Mina to keep her mouth shut,” Ten snarls at the ballerina who simply titters.

 

“Ten kept talking about you when we were working on the choreography, you know...” Mina says with a sly smile.

 

Before anyone can say anything else, the school bell rings. Mina looks up at the wall clock above Johnny’s head. “Oh? Is that the time? I better go!” she says, picking up her bag. “I have to meet a friend!”

 

Johnny and Ten don’t move or say a word as they watch Mina rush out the studio. She pokes her head back in to say, “If my opinion is of any value, I think you two look cute together,” before she closes the door.

 

Johnny and Ten spend the next few minutes staring at each other, waiting for the other to speak first. This is Johnny’s chance to confess and probably ask Ten out. However, he’s not prepared for this moment. He would have liked to have come in with a battle plan, or at least flowers. He’s got no idea where to start, honestly… But the fact that Ten was inspired when he came up with a routine that screams love…

 

“You kept talking about me, huh?” Johnny asks, just to break the silence.

 

A faint pink graces Ten’s cheeks despite the air conditioning in the room. “I don’t know why Mina said that!” Ten whisper-screeches, shaking his head. “It's not like you inspired the choreography!”

 

Johnny stares at Ten with no idea what to say besides, “I never said anything about the choreography… I just wanted to know whether Mina was joking or not.”

 

Ten alternates between looking at Johnny and keeping his eyes on the floor. After what Johnny thinks is forever Ten sighs. “Fine, so maybe I was talking about you a lot,” he admits, looking at Johnny’s shirt rather than his face.

 

Johnny doesn’t know what to make of this. He opts to stay in familiar territory instead. He keeps his smile light, bordering on teasing. “So you do talk about me! I bet you told Mina all the embarrassing stuff I did in PE,” he playfully chuckles which he hopes is enough to hide his nerves. “Why would you guys be talking about me, if as you said, I have nothing to do with the choreography?”

 

“Yes, I did,” Ten playfully snarls at Johnny, who braces himself for Ten’s laughter. However, Ten pouts, his lips are puckered up and the tiny spot between his brows creased. There’s nothing Johnny wants more than to kiss that pout away but he needs answers. Ten sighs, his eyes turning from playful to serious. “We talked about you because we were on the topic of who we imagined while coming up with choreography.”

 

Johnny’s heart leaps in his throat. “W-what?!”  

 

“You heard me perfectly,” Ten sighs, lying on the hardwood floor. Ten's ears flush pink, and there’s a small smile graces his lips. “I’ve always found you cute ever since you slid into the dance studios during the first day of classes. Physically, you are my ideal type—tall, handsome, hot. When I got to know you, and although you have your faults, I realized I haven’t been able to look at anyone else since we met. Besides, I’ve yet to meet someone who gets me the way you do, even if we’ve only known each other for a short time. I guess I’m saying that if I ever want to take a shot at a long-term thing, I want to do it with you.”

 

Considering that they’re both college students, or in Johnny’s case about to leave college, long-term relationships are the last thing on their minds. In normal occasions, this is when Johnny would be weighing the pros and cons of dating someone in his head. However, he wants to stay with Ten, wants to see how they can make this work, considering that Johnny’s graduating in a few weeks and Ten has one more year left in university.

 

“I don’t expect us to be in that deep, mutual spiritual state of love we’re taught in theology,” Ten points out. “But I’d like us to get to that point someday… That is.. only if you want to. If you see me as a friend, or maybe a friend with benefits, then let’s just—”

 

“I don’t see you that way, Ten. Not at all.” Johnny blurts out. “I guess it’s my turn. I thought it was just a crush, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t get over you. If I slid into your heart the minute I slipped into PE class, then you’ve been in mine ever since Miss Park introduced you and Hansol to the class.”

 

Ten turns his head to look at Johnny; his hair splayed on the floor like some halo. However, the judgmental look on his face doesn’t bode well for Johnny. “What the hell, Johnny?” he asks, failing to suppress his laughter. “That’s cheesy as hell, and I don’t usually do cheesy. You’re lucky you’re hot.”

 

“I—uh—okay,” Johnny stutters before he gains courage. He grins at Ten. “But you like it, don’t you?”  

 

Ten shrugs. “I suppose it will grow on me when it’s coming from you,” Ten admits, trying to sound impassive, but his smile gives Ten away.

 

Ten’s interruption ruined Johnny’s train of thought. Where does he go from here? Johnny has talked about the part that he’s had a crush on Ten since the day they met. Should he say that he likes these “fake dates” they go on together? Does he talk about the revelation he had while studying for development economics?

 

Johnny takes a deep breath before he continues. “I don’t know what the future will be like, Ten,” he whispers, taking Ten’s hand. “But I don’t want to lose you. I don’t know whether this is love or if we’re heading there, but all I know is that I want whatever this is we have to work. Oh god. I’m awful at this, huh?” His usual eloquence as a debater has evaded him. This is about as honest as he can get.

 

“I accept your confession, as long as you take mine,” he says, his natural playfulness creeping in his voice.

 

“Of course I accept it, silly!” Johnny laughs. “Just say you won’t let go~” he sings as Ten sits up properly.

 

“Does…” Ten whispers, his eyes flitting between Johnny’s eyes and lips. “Are we boyfriends?”

 

Boyfriend. Johnny likes the way it sounds coming from Ten. “Sounds good to me,” Johnny whispers.

 

They suddenly realize how close they are, and before they know it, their lips meet.  

  
  
  
  
  
  


The dance club year-end showcase has just ended, and Johnny, Yuta, and Taeil are waiting for their friends outside the auditorium. They agreed to wait for their friends outside the auditorium instead of battling it out with the crowd backstage. Rumor has it that there are entertainment company scouts out here. Johnny personally has no idea how those rumors even started, but Yuta swears it’s because of Miss Park’s connections with the entertainment industry. No matter how true or false those are, they would rather wait for Taeyong, Hansol, and Ten out here instead of a stuffy backstage.

 

Yuta is in the middle of a bad impersonation of Taeyong crying on stage when Johnny spots members of the dance club finally walking out of the auditorium. Minding the bouquet in his hands, Johnny rushes over to where Ten is talking to a bunch of people Johnny remembers seeing during the performances earlier. Johnny is content to watch the way Ten’s eyes shine bright and how even his wild gesturing looks so graceful as he tells a funny story. Their gazes meet as Ten throws his head back to laugh at something one of the others said. Johnny smiles while Ten excuses himself from his friends to throw his arms around Johnny.

 

“Hey, you,” Johnny says once they break apart.

 

Ten smirks at him. “Hey, yourself.”

 

Johnny hands Ten the bouquet. “You did well today.”

 

“Thanks, I’m glad you think so… I mean, that solo piece was dedicated to you…” Ten trails off. He takes the bouquet: an assortment of yellow roses, pale yellow calla lilies, fennel, oak leaves, ivy, and rhubarb leaves. Johnny had ditched the seniors’ graduation party meeting to get those flowers from outside campus, but Ten doesn’t need to know that.

 

“I’m going to miss all this,” Johnny randomly says, putting an arm around Ten. Johnny only has a few more weeks left before graduating. He likes to think that the last four years in university have helped prepare him to face the world out there. The last four years were some of the best years in his life. “But I have a reason to come back and visit.” Johnny’s eyes drift over to Ten who is smiling at him and pecks him on the cheek.

 

“Good to know you’re not disappearing on me once you get that diploma,” Ten jokes, leaning into Johnny’s touch. “Come on and kiss me properly.”

 

Before Johnny can say anything, Taeyong shouts out, “Enough with the PDA you two! There are children and parents over here!”

 

Johnny and Ten turn to face Taeyong, Jaehyun, Hansol, Yuta, Youngmin, and Taeil walking toward them. Some of Ten’s other friends are following behind them.  

 

“I mean it's good you got together and all,” Taeil adds in a calmer voice, “but can you tone down the PDA?” Taeil chuckles while the rest of Johnny’s friends fake gag next to him.

 

“No seriously, you guys, stop, or I'm calling the Dean,” Hansol threatens.

 

“Speaking of which, is the excessive amount of PDA enough reason for the school to revoke Johnny’s Latin honors?” Yuta adds, smirking at Johnny and Ten who are holding hands.

 

"Hmm, we can try asking as long as we have evidence?" Youngmin suggests.

 

Johnny rolls his eyes. If he had to endure years of Taeyong and Jaehyun being domestic in their dorm room, along with Hansol and Yuta’s over-the-top displays of affection, then his friends will just have to live with this.

 

Giving his friends the finger, Johnny wraps an arm around Ten’s shoulders and leads them away from their obnoxiously loud friends. Johnny still isn’t over the fact that he and Ten are officially together now. They might not be that couple who’ve always known they were meant for each other, but Johnny is sure that they will work to make the relationship last. There’s still a lot Johnny has to learn about Ten, and Johnny’s looking forward to discovering something new about him every day.

 

Johnny has always thought Ten was an angel among men. The only difference between then and now is that Johnny no longer has to wonder what it would be like to fall into step with Ten. Johnny looks down into Ten’s eyes, shining brighter than the light of probably a thousand stars above them, and wants nothing more than to drown in them. His gaze drifts over to Ten’s petal pink lips. Johnny’s eyes drift to check if anyone is watching. After all, they’re still on school grounds…

 

“Johnny, stop being shy and just kiss me,” Ten sighs before pulling Johnny’s face down to match his height.

 

 _I’m not going to argue with that_ is Johnny’s last coherent thought before his hands settled on Ten’s waist and Johnny moves to close the gap between their lips.

**Author's Note:**

> \- The dance Hansol’s making the class do is [Yoo Junsun’s “Me Like Yuh” choreography.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G5hfn5Zv98)  
> \- The dance Ten and Mina were rehearsing was [May J Lee & Park Bongyoung’s “Say You Won’t Let Go” choreography](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oqn8FgEBKMg%20)  
> \- Most of the things in this fic are based on my own ballet years, my college experiences, and other real-life occurrences.


End file.
